Cancer survivor back in game after year off

Updated 11:27 pm, Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fredericksburg junior forward Kyara Galindo (right) had two brain tumors discovered after collapsing in late 2011.

Fredericksburg junior forward Kyara Galindo (right) had two brain tumors discovered after collapsing in late 2011.

Photo: Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News

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Kyara Galindo, right, and Rebecca Voorhees of Fredericksburg High School celebrate after Galindo kicked a goal against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two brain tumors.

Kyara Galindo, right, and Rebecca Voorhees of Fredericksburg High School celebrate after Galindo kicked a goal against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two brain tumors.

Photo: Billy Calzada, Express-News

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Junior forward Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School joins her teammates in celebrating their 3-1 victory over Medina Valley in soccer action on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two brain tumors.

Junior forward Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School joins her teammates in celebrating their 3-1 victory over Medina Valley in soccer action on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two

Fredericksburg High soccer girls coach John Brock speaks with his team after defeating Medina Valley, 3-1, on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Junior forward Kyara Galindo, standing at right of Brock, is recovering from two brain tumors. That didn't stop her from scoring a goal.

Fredericksburg High soccer girls coach John Brock speaks with his team after defeating Medina Valley, 3-1, on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Junior forward Kyara Galindo, standing at right of Brock, is recovering

Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School wears head protection because of brain tumors from which she is recovering. She plays against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School wears head protection because of brain tumors from which she is recovering. She plays against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Photo: Billy Calzada, Express-News

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Junior forward Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School kicks a goal against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two brain tumors. She wears head protection and cannot head the ball.

Junior forward Kyara Galindo of Fredericksburg High School kicks a goal against Medina Valley on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Galindo is recovering from two brain tumors. She wears head protection and cannot head

Kyara Galindo waited in the holding room at Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg that October day in 2011, unaware that her life was about to be altered.

She was a cheerleader and projected starter on the varsity soccer team at Fredericksburg High School, who liked hanging out with friends, listening to all types of music and “enjoying life.”

But that all changed in a blink of an eye. Playing soccer and being a cheerleader took a back seat to fear and uncertainty when Galindo collapsed while cheering at a football game.

Tests revealed that Galindo had Stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly brain cancer. She said doctors told her the life expectancy of someone with her condition was a year.

“I just kind of thought that my life was just going to stop right there, because they gave me a year to live,” Galindo said. “I was in complete shock. I didn't even see myself cry, but I had plenty of tears running down my face.

“I asked, 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?'”

There were no answers as to why Galindo, weeks from her 16th birthday, was thrust into the realities of life and death.

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Galindo was experiencing headaches so severe that she couldn't make it through a day at school.

Doctors first thought perhaps it was allergies or sinuses, Galindo said. But the headaches persisted for two months, growing more intense each time.

“It just happened all at once,” she said. “It was awful.”

Then, while cheering at a football game, Galindo collapsed.

“I was feeling weak, I sat down and fell asleep,” Galindo recalled.

She was taken to a hospital, where tests revealed two brain tumors — one the size of an egg on the top of her brain, the other the size of a quarter at the base.

Galindo had surgery to remove the malignant tumor at the top of her brain followed by 45 days of radiation.

The radiation sessions were Monday through Friday for nine weeks. Once radiation treatments were completed, Galindo had a port inserted near her sternum and began the first of three rounds of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy sessions occurred every two weeks, with each lasting as long as eight hours.

Despite losing her hair, enduring seizures and not being able to eat, Galindo persevered through the treatments.

Soccer also had a big part. Unable to play last season, she attended almost every game to support her teammates.

“At first, we were really scared for her,” said teammate Andie Stotz, a senior defender/midfielder. “As a team, we look at her as a role model. If she can overcome that, it makes our problems look miniscule. It really takes a special kind of person to overcome something like that.”

Now 17 and with her cancer in remission — she still has monthly checkups and an MRI exam every three months — Galindo admits she's not as agile as she once was. She wears a rugby scrum cap when she plays and can't hit headers.

She doesn't care. She's thrilled to be playing soccer again.

“She's never, ever been negative, down about it,” Fredericksburg coach John Brock said. “She's always been an inspiration to all of us. You would not know that she's been sick at all.”

On Tuesday, Galindo scored her first goal of the season.

“Just being out there and being able to play with the team again makes me feel happy,” she said. “I'm relieved. I'm very grateful. (Being alive), that's probably the first thing I think about every day.”